I was happy to see Sláinte on the shelf in Eason this week. It’s a sign of progress in the Irish Craft Beer market. While it only makes up a small percentage of the overall market the small guys are punching way above their weight and the rate of growth is phenomenal. The book states that craft beer is at about 1% market share at the moment but other sources put it closer to 3%. The fact that it’s becoming more widely available is the main thing for me. The book launch is this evening in the RDS at the Irish Craft Beer Festival which is featuring well over 150 Irish brews including some festival specials.
The book starts as a lot of beer books do with a general guide to beer. It has a chapter on the evolution of Irish beer and brings us almost up to date on the current breweries. That’s my only (small) gripe, breweries launched this year only get a page. I don’t know the ins and outs of book publication but I’d have liked a bit more on the latest brewing crews. There’s an excellent section on pairing beer with food and cheese. Budding and established chefs will enjoy the chapter on cooking with beer and cider. The book is worth every cent of €19.99, go out and pick up a copy.